Newsom in San Diego to tout seizure of more than $500M in fentanyl since 2021
More than a half-billion dollars worth of fentanyl was seized in California over the past five years as part of expanded drug enforcement efforts at the southern border, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday in San Diego.
More than 50 million fentanyl pills worth an estimated $506 million and weighing 34,357 pounds have been seized since 2021 through drug interdiction efforts supported by the California National Guard, the governor said.
Last year, the number of servicemembers deployed at California’s ports of entry was doubled as part of the crackdown on transnational drug trafficking, which Newsom said was supported by a $30 million investment aimed at expanding the Guard’s drug interdiction activities.
“Fentanyl is killing Californians every day — and we are meeting this crisis with action, not rhetoric,” Newsom said in a statement. “In 2021, we launched a focused effort to stop traffickers at the border and along our transportation corridors. The results are clear: lives saved, communities protected, and criminal networks disrupted.”
Along with CalGuard-assisted efforts at California’s ports of entry, Newsom said California Highway Patrol crime suppression teams have been at work in high-crime areas to prevent the proliferation of drugs and weapons.
Since regional efforts by CHP teams began in 2024, 11,700 arrests have been made, more than 500 illicit firearms seized, and over 6,200 stolen vehicles recovered, according to the governor’s office.
In San Diego, CHP operations conducted since last year have led to 404 arrests, 29 recovered stolen vehicles, and 104 pounds of illegal drugs seized, according to Newsom’s office.
CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a statement, “Drug trafficking and illegal firearms threaten the safety of every California community, but these results show the power of proactive enforcement and strong partnerships. By working alongside our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, we are disrupting criminal networks, seizing record amounts of guns and drugs, and preventing violence and overdoses before lives are lost.”
